Displaced people are at increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence.
Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

1 | Establish trust

We found that women didn’t open up easily for many reasons: self-blame, fear of the consequences, and mostly fear of re-victimisation. Only when trust was established and we were able to create a safe space with the women we work, we started learning about these issues. Lynn Tabbara, co-founder, Intaliqi, London, UK, @ltabbara

2 | Listen to women and girls

It starts with listening. And then, going beyond that and involving them in designing the services and activities of aid organisations, and constantly asking for their feedback. We can’t treat women as a homogeneous group. We need to constantly listen to their challenges and they’ll lead us to the solutions. Angela Jessica Uccellatori, regional gender and protection adviser, Mercy Corps, Beirut, Lebanon, @mercycorps_uk

3 | Don’t doubt it’s happening

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We need to assume sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is occurring and act accordingly from the very beginning of any emergency, before we have concrete evidence. In order to end all forms of SGBV, social change processes are required, which need good contextual understanding and long-term commitment. Constanze Quosh, senior protection officer, UNHCR

4 | Commit resources

We need resources and money. GBV programmes accounted for less than 0.2% of the whole regional response plan for the Syria region. This needs to change. We know that when we have quality services up and running for women and girls, they will come. Response to the life-saving needs of women and girls in crisis should not be optional. Amy Greenbank, emergency women’s protection and empowerment coordinator, International Rescue Committee, Athens, Greece, @amygreenbank, @IRCuk

5 | Do more than ticking boxes

Gender mainstreaming is a buzzword, but it must be more than ticking boxes. We need to properly train humanitarian and staff to actively address gender at the grassroots level. Christopher Holt, deputy country director, Nonviolent Peaceforce, Juba, South Sudan, @peaceforce

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6 | Screen for gender-based violence at health check-ups

Setting up services that do not lead to stigmatisation is the quickest way to increase reporting in communities. Programmes that have introduced referral screening for women seeking general healthcare, with a wide breadth of services including GBV screening, works well in South Sudan and Somalia where male family members usually control women’s access to medical care. Kate McCallister, senior protection coordinator – South Sudan, Oxfam, Juba, South Sudan, @Oxfam

7 | Offer women contraceptives

At MSF, we have gathered the testimonies of women getting a contraception shot before undertaking the journey. I find it terrible that women have no choice but to take dangerous routes where they can be raped. We should ensure that women have access to sexual and reproductive rights, including abortions. We have heard women tell us: “I have been gang-raped, how do you want me to continue with this pregnancy?” Hassiba Hadj-Sahraoui, advocacy manager, MSF, the Aquarius boat, the Mediterranean, @HassibaHS

8 | Encourage economic independence

Providing income-generating opportunities is key; it provides independence and a sense of purpose which many have lost. Teodora Berkova, director of social Innovation, Pearson, New York, US, @teoberkova

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9 | Do safety audits of camps

In Iraq, we support refugee women’s groups to conduct safety audits of camps and transit sites. Although the impact of these findings is not immediate, we are seeing that the recommendations that the women are making in their reports are being addressed. Anna Stone, global gender-based violence adviser, Norwegian Refugee Council, Melbourne, Australia

10 | Distribute whistles

A low-cost example of an effective intervention was developed by a women’s group when discussing with them the issue of domestic violence. The women complained that in displacement camps, when beatings would occur, the social networks – usually in the form of male leaders in the community – that would intervene were no longer there. The women were determined to recreate this social network. They began to distribute whistles to women with the instruction that when they heard someone being beaten they should blow their whistle, and when they heard someone blowing a whistle they should join in. This turned out to be an extremely effect method. Kate McCallister